I'm Not a Catnip Kind of Girl
by princessamaterasu
Summary: We all have our secrets, but some are bigger than others. Some people have things they're scared of, things they secretly love, or things in the past they've done. Me? I turn into a cat. No joke. And I never thought I'd earn acceptance until I meet a quiet Canadian by the name of Matthew that turns everything around for me. Canada x Neko!Reader
1. Chapter 1

I do not own these characters or Hetalia

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I walk down a busy street with my head down. I don't really want to draw too much attention to myself. I'm not really shy or anything. It's just that I've gotten a little too much attention in my rather unique life. But this is New York, so I doubt one slightly dirty looking girl will stand out. I turn the corner and walk into an alley. I don't want anyone to see what I'm about to do.

I close my eyes, and let my body relax. I feel a shiver go down my spine. When I open my eyes, I'm significantly shorter than I was before. I flick my long tail and stretch my cat limbs.

Yup, I can turn into a cat.

I turn around, fully intent on charming the guy at the nearby hotdog stand to give me one, when I see something that makes me freeze on the spot. There's a guy in a bomber jacket at the end of the alley staring at me. I try not to panic as I go through possible scenarios in my mind. It's possible that he didn't see me transform. I take a few steps toward him, and he jumps back in surprise.

He saw me alright.

"I can't believe it!" the man says getting excited. "You just turned into a cat!"

I flick my pointy cat ears.

"You can understand me can't you? Dude! This is so weird!"

I feel a strong urge to flick the cow lick that's sticking up on top of his head. It bobs slightly as he talks, and is super tempting. I resist my cat urges to pounce on his face. I'm in a serious pickle, I can't let myself get distracted.

"My name's Alfred," the guy says. "I know! I'll take you home with me. You can meet my brother, and my friend Tony. You'd like them a lot." He picks you up before you can react. "You look like you could use some food too."

I don't know how to react to this sudden turn of events. First this guy catches me transforming, and now he's taking me home. There must be something a little off with this guy. I don't have a choice except go along with whatever Alfred has planned.

The first thing he does is go to the store to buy me food. Since pets aren't allowed in the store, he puts me in his jacket and zips it up. I can only imagine the weird looks he must be getting. I go along with it, and it's actually pretty cozy in Alfred's jacket. I drift off into a warm, peaceful sleep as Alfred shops.

When I wake up, we're in an elevator going up. The elevator stops, and Alfred carries me and the groceries to a large penthouse. I jump out of his arms the moment he opens the door, and have a good look around. I'm looking for potential hiding places and escape routes. I know I shouldn't stick around too long. These things usually don't turn out well.

"Hey Tony! Come check out this girl I found!" Alfred calls into the penthouse.

I turn when I hear the sound of footsteps. What comes into the room can only be described as a gray alien. It makes some high pitched noises that sound an awful lot like profanity.

"Dude, I know she looks like a cat now, but it's really a girl." I look at Alfred in surprise. He can understand that gibberish?

The gray alien, Tony as Alfred calls it, makes some more weird sounds.

"I'm not crazy! I saw it with my own eyes!" Alfred insists.

Tony shakes his head and walks away.

"What's going on?" a quiet voice from behind me asks. I turn around quickly with my hair standing on edge. It's practically impossible to sneak behind me when I'm a cat, yet somehow the guy with wavy, sandy blonde hair has done it.

"Oh, hey Matthew! I found this girl today," Alfred says pointing to me.

"Did you tell Tony she turned into this cat?" the quiet man, Matthew, asks.

"Yeah dude! She totally did!"

"What's your name?" Matthew asks me. I look up at him wishing I could tell him. I actually kinda like Matthew. I resist the urge to bat at a long strand of curly hair that hangs from his head as he bends down. He reaches and pats my head. Then he scratches my neck, and finds my collar.

I'm not sure why, but every time I transform into a cat, I have a collar on. The tag always has my name on it too. And then when I turn back into a human, I always have the same clothes on as when I first transformed. I don't know how this works, but it does. When you're a cat girl, you just learn to accept weird things in life without asking too many questions.

"This tag says her name is (y/n)," Matthew tells Alfred softly.

"Huh?" Alfred is digging through the groceries, so he doesn't hear Matthew the first time. Matthew repeats what he said. "Cool. Do you think (y/n) will want cat food, or people food?"

Usually I prefer cat food only when I'm a cat because it tastes funky as a human, but I'll eat human food whether I'm a cat or a human. I walk over to where Alfred has the food in the kitchen, and jump up onto the table. I approach the pile of food and put a padded paw on a can of cat food. There's no point acting like a dumb cat when my secret is out. Well kind of out.

"See! She's too smart to be a regular cat!" Alfred says to Matthew as he rubs my head. Not too gently either. I think I definitely like Matthew better.

"If she really is a person, why doesn't she turn into a person and leave?" Matthew asks joining us in the kitchen, but Alfred isn't listening.

I look Matthew dead in the eyes. Could I trust him enough to do what I'm about to do? I look over at Alfred who's putting the cat food in a bowl. I trust the quieter Matthew over the boisterous Alfred. I pad toward Matthew, holding his gaze as I do.

"I won't shift back," I whisper to Matthew, "because then he can't deny what he saw."

Matthew's eyes widen in shock when he hears my voice, but he doesn't say anything to alert Alfred. I knew I could trust him. I usually make a point not to talk while in my cat form, even though I can. "I don't quite understand," he whispers back.

"If I transform in front of him, then it proves that what he saw is true, but I don't want him to know that," I explain in a low voice.

"So you are a human." It's hard to hear Matthew, even with my cat hearing, because he's talking quieter than he usually does to match my whispering. "But if you don't want others to know, why are you telling me?"

"I trust you," I say with a gleam in my cat eyes. "You seem like a nice guy."

Alfred interrupts us with my food. "Getting along with Matthew, (y/n)?" he asks as he puts the bowl on the table. He pets me, and then turns to walk down the hall. "I'll be playing video games with Tony!"

I quickly finish my food and look around for more. "Don't freak out, okay?" I tell Matthew. My (h/c) pelt ruffles, and I feel my spine shift. I stretch my human limbs and crack my neck while still sitting on the table.

"That was amazing," Matthew says in awe.

"Thanks," I say a little embarrassed. "Most people get scared." I get off the table and sit in a chair. "Do you mind getting me something to drink?"

"O-oh, sure." He goes to a cupboard and pulls out a cup. "Is water okay?" I nod and take a look around. It's a really nice place. Matthew walks back to the table and hands me the cup.

"Thanks." I drain my cup quickly.

"So are you going to leave now?" he asks as he sits in a chair next to me. I look at him when I hear the sadness in his voice.

"I probably should. I don't really belong here," I tell him. "Or anywhere." I don't really fit in anywhere, being a cat girl and all.

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

"No, not really."

"Would you like to stay here (y/n)?" I almost spit my water out. No one has ever invited me to stay with them after I just transformed in front of them. They usually don't talk to me at all.

"Are you sure? I don't weird you out?"

"Well, at first it was strange, but it doesn't really bother me." He smiles and adds, "Besides, you can actually see me."

"Of course I see you, you're real aren't you?" I ask confused. The last thing I need is to be seeing ghosts or hallucinations.

"Yes, I'm real. It's just that people don't usually notice me. Not even my brother," he explains with a sad voice. "It's nice to be able to talk to someone."

My heart goes out to Matthew. He reminds me of myself. We're both lonely and in need of a friend. "I can stay, if you want."

"Will you really?" he asks excited. I instantly adore his smile. If staying here will keep him smiling, I'll stay here forever.

"If it makes you happy, yes," I tell him with a smile of my own. "I could use a friend too."

"Should we tell Alfred?"

I think about that for a while. I still don't trust him to keep my secret. "It's probably better if he forgets what he saw today. That'll mean I'll have to be a cat whenever he's around."

"Okay," Matthew replies. "Will you really stay?"

I nod and shift back into a cat. I hop onto his lap and sit down. "I've never had a real home before," I say looking up.

Matthew gives me a scratch behind the ear. "I've never met someone that's seen me for such a long period of time."

"Maybe this will work after all," I say hopefully.

He leans his face closer to mine and looks me straight in the eye without flinching. "I really hope so (y/n)."

I flick my rough cat tongue out and give Matthew's nose a little lick. I don't think I'll mind staying here with him. He seems kind, and he's really cute too. But most importantly, he's accepted me for me, and that's something special I've never had before.

I curl up on his lap and let out a gentle purr. He strokes my back, which causes me to purr harder. I can't remember the last time I've been this comfortable. Not even Alfred's jacket was this nice. It might just be because it's Matthew. He makes my heart flutter. I've never felt this way about someone before. Is this what people call love?


	2. Chapter 2

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Later that night I decide to sleep with Matthew in his room. At first I stay under the bed because I feel safer in an enclosed space, but it's pretty chilly down there, even with a fur coat. I slip out from under the bed and hop on Matthew's bed.

"Hey," I whisper while poking him with a paw. "Can I sleep up here?"

"Mmm?" Matthew mumbles as he wakes up. "(Y/n)?"

"Can I sleep up here with, um...you?"

"Sure," he says still half asleep. "I've never had a girl sleep in my bed before."

"Well, technically I'm a cat right now." But if I wasn't I'd be blushing like crazy. He makes my heart pound like crazy, even when he's half asleep.

"Hmmm," he murmurs incoherently. He must have fallen back asleep.

I slip under the blankets and curl up next to him. My keen cat hearing picks up the sound of his heart beating rhythmically as he sleeps. It makes me sad to think that not many people have had a chance to see into his pure heart. He's the nicest person I've ever met. My breathing synchronizes with Matthew's as I lay quietly next to him in the darkness. The last thing I think about before slipping off into a deep sleep is Matthew smiling kindly at me.

I'm the first one in the apartment to wake up the next morning. I figure it's safe to use the bathroom, so I sneak off to go find it. The penthouse may be big, but it's not that big, so it doesn't take me long to find the bathroom. I quietly pad inside, and shift back into my human form. The first thing I do is find a spare toothbrush and brush my teeth. I may be a cat girl, but that doesn't mean I don't have proper hygiene. There's not much I can do about my hair since there's no hairbrush, so I do my best with a comb. I'll have to talk to Matthew about that later. I use the toilet last, and shift back into a cat as soon as I wash my hands.

I make my way back to Matthew's room, but pause at a half open door. This must be Alfred's room, I think to myself. I flick my tail in amusement. Maybe I'll have some fun.

I slip into the room, and jump on Alfred's bed. He doesn't have his glasses on, but it's definitely him. I flick his cowlick experimentally with my paw. He doesn't even move. I flick it again and again. This is definitely as much fun as I thought it would be. I grab the bit of hair with both paws, and give it a slight tug. That causes him to shift slightly. I'm about to tug on it harder when I'm interrupted by a quiet voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Matthew calls from the doorway. "He doesn't like people touching that."

I flick my ears in acknowledgement and jump off the bed. I make my way over by Matthew, and look up at him. His wavy hair is rumpled slightly, and his glasses are crooked from him putting them on too quickly.

He reaches down and gives me a few friendly pats on the head. "Good morning (y/n)."

I meow at him.

He looks at me confused. "Can't you talk? Or did I make that whole thing up?" He looks truly terrified at that idea.

I let out a scratchy laugh. Even though I can talk as a cat, my laugh always comes out sounding funny. "I'm just kidding Matthew. Good morning to you too."

We walk to the kitchen together. Matthew goes to the fridge and pulls out a box of frozen pancakes. "Want some (y/n)?"

"Yes please!" I say excitedly as I jump onto the countertop next to him. "I'm starving."

"You can eat this, right?" he says unsure. "Or do you want cat food?"

"Pancakes are definitely better than cat food any day," I tell him. "Especially with syrup."

Matthew makes enough for both of us, and pours a generous amount of syrup on both stacks. He puts one of the plates holding several pancakes on the table in front of me. "You can probably change into a human if you want," Matthew says. "Alfred usually sleeps in late."

I jump onto the chair by my plate of pancakes. Then I shift back to my human form. "It's so much easier eating as a human, you have no idea."

Matthew lets out a soft laugh. "I guess you're right. I don't really know what it's like to be a cat."

"It's fun, but also a little strange too," I inform him. "My cat senses are much sharper than my human ones, so it's a little overwhelming sometimes."

Matthew nods while chewing. "I can imagine it is," he says after swallowing.

"Sometimes it's awkward when other cats think I'm one of them," I say. "I've had a cat come onto me more than once," I say sheepishly. I don't know why I'm telling him all this, but he's very easy to talk to.

"That's happened?" Matthew asks in shock. I nod. "Well, I won't let that happen anymore," he says in a protective voice that surprises me. He's usually so quiet. "Er...since you're my friend and everything," he adds in his usual soft manner.

"Thanks," I say, unsure what else to say. No one has ever stood up for me before.

"Would you like something to drink?" Matthew asks with a smile.

It takes me a second to comprehend his question. His smiles have a way of making my thoughts jumble around in my head. "Uh, sure," I finally manage to get out.

Matthew gets up from the table to get two glasses if milk. I get up and follow him to the kitchen. I'm not sure why, but I just do. He pulls out a gallon jug of milk from the fridge. I grab two cups from the cabinet that I saw him get some from last night. I place them on the countertop near the fridge so Matthew can fill them with milk.

"M-Mathew?"

"Is something the matter?" he asks concerned. He must have heard the hesitation in my voice.

I take a step closer to him. "You're really not scared of me?"

"No," he says while shaking his head. "I'm not."

I take another step, and now I'm standing only a foot away from him. I have my head slightly bowed to avoid looking at his eyes. "Why?" I whisper.

"Because you're like me," Matthew answers. Then he bends over slightly and moves his face closer to mine.

Our lips are a hairbreadth away from touching when Alfred loudly stumbles into the kitchen. I shift into my cat form before he can see me.

"Whatcha doing bro?" he says sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"E-e-eating b-breakfast," he stutters out nervously. I'm not sure if he's nervous that Alfred saw me, or from the fact we had almost kissed.

Alfred slouches into the kitchen, and grabs a box of poptarts from a cupboard. "Why are there two plates?"

"I was, um...hungry?" Matthew tells him. It sounds more like a question than a statement.

"Oh," Alfred says. He obviously doesn't care. "Hi (y/n)," Alfred greets me with a stroke down my back. I do my best to try to settle my fluffed up fur. He grabs the gallon of milk in his free hand, and walks to the living room to watch tv.

"He doesn't use a cup?" I whisper to Matthew.

"No," he says still a little tense.

"Well I'm never drinking milk again."

He laughs slightly at that, and relaxes slightly. "Do you think he saw?"

"He would've said something if he did," I answer.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The two of you go back to the table with your breakfast on it. Matthew continues eating silently. I lick some of the syrup off my plate. I won't be able to finish these pancakes until I can change back. Alfred comes back into the kitchen, and puts the milk back in the fridge. He starts to leave when he jumps in surprise.

"Don't scare me like that, dude!" he says to Matthew. "I didn't even notice you there."

Matthew sighs sadly and continues eating his breakfast. I get the feeling he's used to that reaction from Alfred. It's sad to think he doesn't get noticed by his own brother. I put a small paw on his arm to try to comfort him.

"I'll be in the shower," Alfred informs Matthew. Then he walks out of the kitchen and to the bathroom.

"That was close," I say after shifting into my human form.

I don't get to say anything else because as soon as I turn toward Matthew, he crashes his lips onto mine. The kiss is sweet from the syrup on our lips, and the gentleness of his lips moving on mine.

"Thank you (y/n)," Matthew tells me when we break apart. "Thank you for noticing me."

"You're welcome," I say back. I don't know what else to say after what just happened. The intensity of his gaze holds me in place.

I lean in and kiss him again. He pulls me onto his lap, and I straddle his waist with my thighs. He holds my face in both of his hands, and kisses me hungrily. I have one arm draped over his shoulder and down his back, while my other hand is tangled in his sandy hair. I twirl the one long, curly hair that hangs from his head around my finger. That causes him to moan. His hands hold me tightly to his chest as he continues to kiss me.

The kiss shifts from sweet to intense as he starts nibbling on my bottom lip. I lick his top lip back in response, and let out a small, teasing purr with a roll of my tongue. This causes him to laugh slightly against my lips. Our lips break from each other, and we breathe in ragged gasps.

I've had a few friends before, but this, this is all new territory for me. I stare into his eyes, and see desire. That's something I've never seen in anyone's eyes. At least, not when they're looking at me.

"Matthew," I whisper between breaths.

"I've never done this before," he says a little embarrassed.

"Neither have I," I admit.

"I kind of like it," he says with a grin. "Probably because it's you. I've never met anyone like you before."

"Well, there aren't that many cat girls out there," I tell him jokingly. I'm still sitting on his lap, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"No, I mean I've never met anyone that makes me feel this way before."

My heart skips a beat as he says that. "Me either."

"Stay with me," Matthew pleads in his soft voice. "Please don't ever go."

"I won't," I tell him. "I'll stay with you as long as you'd like. This is my home now."

Alfred watches the whole thing take place from the hallway. He's surprised that the two haven't noticed the shower's not running. It's no surprise though, after what he's seen them doing. He saw (y/n) transform when he walked into the kitchen, but pretended not to notice. Alfred is well aware of what he saw in that alley, and in his own kitchen.

"I'm happy for you bro," he whispers to Matthew, even though he can't hear. He walks down the hall toward the bathroom. "Now it's time for that shower."


	3. Chapter 3

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The next few days are the happiest of my life. I've never been accepted by anyone, but Matthew has changed all of that. He's willing to be my friend, and more. I've never felt this way before. I debate whether I should say anything to him or not. Then something happens that helps me make my choice.

I'm sitting on the couch in a patch of sunlight coming in from the window. I swish my tail back and forth happily. I'm the only one in the room at the moment. Matthew has stepped out to run some errands, so only Alfred and Tony are home. I haven't seen much of Tony since I got here though.

Alfred walks into the room. "Hey (y/n)," he says and sits down next to me. "Look, there's something I need to talk to you about."

I ignore him and continue to swish my tail. I'm still trying my best to act like a normal cat around Alfred, so he'll forget about me transforming. I guess his memory is better than I hoped it would be.

"You can drop the act. I know you can understand me. I saw you and Matthew in the kitchen that morning."

My tail freezes. So he did see me. I turn to look at him. "I'm listening."

His eyes widen. "Woah! You can talk as a cat? Sweet!" His face turns serious again. "Could you maybe transform into a person? It's weird talking to a cat."

I shift in front of him, and settle back into the couch. "So what is it you want?" I ask a little miffed. I thought I kept my secret so well.

"Well, I thought I should tell you why I brought you here," Alfred says.

"Wait, what?" I say surprised.

"I should explain from the beginning," he says in deep thought. "I noticed you while walking down the street. I was going to talk to you, but then you suddenly turned down an alleyway. I was like, 'Dude, what?', and I followed you."

I do my best to ignore the extra things he adds in the story. This may take a while.

"So I turned into the alley, and BAM! You turned into a cat! And I was thinking that that makes you perfect!"

"Huh?" I ask. Alfred isn't making this easy to follow. "Why does me turning into a cat make me perfect?"

Alfred's gaze lowers in intensity. "I knew you'd be perfect for Matthew."

At that moment, Matthew walks into the penthouse. Alfred doesn't notice at all. I motion for Matthew to sit and listen.

"Matthew's always been lonely since people can't see him that well. Even I can't," he says with a laugh. It's without humor. "I feel really bad about it, but I can't help it!" Alfred looks pretty guilty. "I know I'm not the best brother. But when I saw you, I recognized something in you that reminded me of Matthew. So I thought I'd ask you to meet him, but then you turned into a cat, so I just grabbed you before you could run." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that."

"So you did all of this for Matthew?"

"Yeah," he says softly. "I thought if I couldn't be there for him, then someone else should."

"Did you ever think that maybe I wouldn't be able to see him?" I'm curious to see what he says.

"Actually, I never thought about that." He lets out a laugh. He's starting to sound more like himself.

"What do you think about all of this, Matthew?" I ask, addressing him for the first time. He's been sitting quietly across from us since he walked in.

"Matthew?" Alfred blurts out surprised. It would seem he didn't notice the quiet blonde walk in.

I facepalm. "Seriously Alfred? You didn't see him?" After that whole heartwarming spiel, it turns out he's still as much of an airhead as I thought.

"I-it's okay (y/n)," Matthew says. He looks like he's close to tears. "You really did that for me?" he asks Alfred.

"Yeah bro," Alfred says with a smile. "I'm the hero after all!"

"Thank you, Al." Matthew gives him a hug, which takes Alfred by surprise. A few tears slip out of Matthew's eyes, and he laughs happily.

"Don't mention it Mattie," Alfred says, hugging him back. "I'm sorry I don't notice you more."

Matthew breaks the hug and turns to me. He walks over to me and kisses me without hesitation. "I'm glad you're here (y/n)," he says after pulling away.

"Me too," I say with my heart starting to speed up. "You're my family now."

Alfred starts to walk away to give us privacy. Before he can leave, I call out to him.

"Alfred!" He turns. "Thank you," I smile, "for giving me a chance."

"No problem (y/n). All in a day's work for a hero." He continues walking down the hall.

I motion for Matthew to join me on the couch. He sits down, and I cuddle up against him. He puts an arm around me in response.

"I guess I don't have to pretend to be a cat anymore," I tell him.

"I guess not," he says with a smile. He places a small kiss on my forehead. "I like you as a human best anyway."

"Well, I like that I can be both around you." I turn into my cat form and hop into his lap. "I can finally be me." I hop on his shoulder and balance there. It's lucky that I'm small for my age, even as a cat. I lick his cheek gently.

"Why don't you change back for a sec?" he asks with mischief in his quiet voice.

I jump onto his lap and shift back. "Why?"

"I can't do this when you're a cat," Matthew says. He leans in and kisses me again. It's a hungry kiss, and his arms hold me to him tightly.

We break for air, but we don't stop. I open my lips to him when his tongue gently asks for permission. He doesn't fight my tongue. He simply explores gently, but he gives my lip a bite as he exits. I growl and bite back. He runs his hand up my back, and it comes to rest on my neck. Matthew tilts my head back to deepen the kiss.

I break the kiss first, and stare deep into his light blue eyes.

"I think I love you," we both say at the same time.

I suddenly shift into my car form without meaning to. It happens to me when I'm physically weak, or in emotional distress. I'd say I'm feeling a bit of both right now at Matthew's confession.

"(Y/n)?" Matthew asks worried. "Oh my gosh! Did I do something wrong?" He's blushing furiously, and becoming more and more flustered.

"I-I'm okay," I manage to get out. "This just, uh...happens sometimes."

"Why?" he asks still worried.

"When I get weak," I explain. "Or emotionally overwhelmed," I add quieter.

"Oh," he replies when he realizes what I'm getting at. "But I mean what I said," he says after a pause.

"I do too," I whisper.

Matthew picks me up and cradles my small form in his arms. He bends his head so that his cheek is resting on my furry head. "Stay with me forever."

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

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I can honestly say this week with Matthew has been the best week of my life. Hands down, there is no comparison. Living in the same place for long periods of time is not a luxury I've had as a cat girl. Neither is living with someone who loves me for me. This week, I got to do both.

So, I wasn't really expecting what comes next.

"I need to go back to Canada."

"What?" I turn to look at Matthew in disbelief. "You mean you don't really live here?"

"No, I'm just here visiting Alfred," he explains in his soft voice. "But now I need to go back home."

"B-but...but...what about us? What happens to us?" I ask starting to panic. He can't leave me here, can he?

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk about, (y/n)." Matthew begins to fidget. Whatever he's going to say is making him nervous. "I want you to come with me."

"You want me to go with you?" I ask. The idea isn't fully registering in my mind.

"Yes," he says and begins to blush. "I want you to come live with me. In Canada."

I finally begin to realize what's happening. I've hardly ever had someone invite me to live with them, and they've never invited me to go with them when they leave. I've always been left behind, until now.

Matthew must have taken my silence to mean indecision because he continues on to say, "Uh, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"No!" I shout, which surprises him. "I want to go with you. I really do."

This causes Matthew to break into a big smile. The kind that makes my heart melt. He closes the gap between us, and kisses me. The kiss begins slow, and grows more heated as it goes on. We break for air only when we need to, and move as close as possible to each other. He wraps his arms around me tightly, and one of his hands slides up my back. The other moves further down ever so slightly. I growl against his lips, and he gives my lower lip a nibble. Then he pushes me against the wall, which makes me to gasp in surprise. Matthew takes advantage of that, and his tongue slips past my lips. This time there's no exploring, just a fight for dominance. What happened to the shy, quiet Matthew I had grown to love? We break apart to regain our breaths.

"When do we leave?" I ask once I can breathe normally.

"Tomorrow," he says. "That's when my flight leaves."

I freeze at the sound of that word. "Flight?" I ask nervously.

"Yeah, I'm flying. Is that a problem?" He looks at me concerned.

"Nope. Not at all."

I must have sounded convincing because he doesn't ask anymore questions after that. The thing is, I'm not a big fan of flying. I have these weird things about being in the air and large bodies of water. It's probably from the whole being a cat girl thing. All I know is that tomorrow is not going to be fun.

I was right.

We decide that it's best for me to fly as a cat, and not a human. I don't have any paperwork or identification since I'm not a normal person. Getting animal registration papers is easier than trying to forge personal information. So that is how I end up going to the airport in a pet carrier. I don't mind closed spaces, but the constant bouncing around is pretty annoying.

Check in must have gone smoothly because the next thing I know Alfred is peeking into my carrier.

"Looks like this is goodbye (y/n)," he says with a sad smile. "Come back to visit with Matthew, okay?"

"Bye Alfred," I whisper quietly so no one else can hear me. "Thank you for everything." He smiles again, and then he's gone. I'm going to miss him more than I thought I would.

His face is quickly replaced by Matthew's. "They're going to load you on the plane now," he tells me. "They won't let me bring you with me into the plane, so you have to go with the other bags." He must have sensed my panic because he quickly adds, "I already warned them to be careful."

"O-okay," I reply in a shaky voice. I'm not looking forward to this at all.

"It's going to be fine," he reassures me in a stronger voice. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Matthew's face disappears, and I feel the carrier being moved again. I close my eyes and cover my ears as best I can. I feel the carrier move, and then stop, several times. Once, the whole thing gets jostled pretty badly, so I let out a yowl in complaint. I hear someone being yelled at outside. My carrier is handled carefully after that.

My nerves are shot by the time I'm loaded onto the plane. I'm shaking uncontrollably, and if I could, I would be crying. I wait in dread for the plane to take off. I need to think of something, anything, to take my mind off of where I am. I work on controlling my breathing as I search for the right thing to think about. An image of Matthew smiling slowly forms in my mind.

It doesn't calm me instantly. It's more like a slow acting sedative. My breathing and heartbeat eventually become steady, and I let my muscles relax little by little. I'm almost relatively calm when a loud roaring makes me tense up worse than before. The whole plane starts to shake as it moves down the runway. The next few minutes of takeoff are the worst yet. My claws slide in and out as my breathing quickens. Pretty soon I just leave them out, and use them to try to grip the bottom of my carrier. I swear I'm going to die.

After what feels like an eternity, the flight smooths out. I manage to calm myself down enough to retract my claws. They've left deep grooves in the bottom of my carrier. I now have four hours to kill in a small box that is flying through the air in a tin can. I shake my head to get similar thoughts like that out of it. The last thing I need to do is drive myself crazy.

Unfortunately, this flight is a turbulent one. The plane rocks back and forth too many times for me to count. I claw at the sides of my carrier in a frenzy at first, but that didn't help. I try counting to 300 out loud, but every time the plane shakes, I panic and lose my place. I finally had to resort to curling into as tight of a ball as I can and doing something similar to sobbing.

I hardly realize when the plane starts to descend, and eventually land. I've gone into some kind of shock, which consists of me lying limply at the bottom of the carrier. The people unpacking the plane's cargo must think I'm asleep because they handle my pet carrier very carefully. After another eternity, I hear Matthew's voice calling my name. My brain still isn't functioning correctly, so all I do is curl up and start shivering. Matthew must also think I'm sleeping because he doesn't bother me for the rest of the trip.

I never actually lose consciousness on the way to Matthew's house, but I can't remember what all happened on the way. The next thing I'm aware of is the sound of a door opening, then my carrier is placed on the floor. Matthew crouches down to open the door. His eyes go wide when he sees the clawed up inside.

"(Y/n)?" he calls in a panicky voice. "Are you alright? (Y/n)?"

I flick my tail very lightly, but continue to shiver uncontrollably. Flying really isn't my thing.

Matthew reaches into the carrier and gently pulls me out. "Oh (y/n), I'm so sorry." He snuggles my trembling form close to his chest. "I didn't know you hated flying so much."

I listen to his heart beat in his chest. It's a comforting sound, and helps me calm down a little. I flick my tail again to try to tell him I'm okay.

Matthew relaxes slightly at my movement. He walks to a small, plush looking couch, and sits down. He strokes me gently while he whispers comforting things to me. He runs out of things to talk about, and starts telling me stories about his childhood.

"Once I spent a summer camping in the deep Canadian woods. I ran into a little polar bear named Kumakiki or something like that," he pauses in his story trying to remember. "He could never remember my name either, which was quite upsetting," he says in what's supposed to sound like an angry voice. Of course it doesn't come out that way.

I've stopped shaking now, and my breathing is slow and relaxed. I turn my head to look up at him.

Matthew notices my movements and leans his head closer to mine. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah," I answer in a faint voice.

"I'm sorry for making you go through that," he says apologetically. "Next time we can drive, okay?"

"That sounds much better."

He places a light kiss on my pink nose, which causes me to sneeze. That makes Matthew laugh.

"I think I can turn back now," I tell him. I shift into my human form on his lap. I wrap my arms around him and place my head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you Matthew. For sitting with me for so long."

He tightens his hold on me and rests his cheek on my forehead. "Anything for you."

We sit together in silence for a while. His lap is comfortable, and the stress from the plane ride is making me sleepy. I yawn loudly, which causes Matthew to laugh softly.

"Sounds like you need to go to bed," he says teasingly.

"Uh huh," I answer sleepily.

Matthew picks me up off his lap and carries me to his room. He sets me down for a moment so he can move the blankets away. He gently lays me down on his bed, and covers me with the blankets. Before he can walk away, I quickly grab his hand.

"Will you stay with me?" I ask him in a quiet voice. If I weren't so tired I would be blushing. I don't usually ask guys to sleep in the same bed as me, but since it's his bed, it shouldn't be a problem.

I can see a faint smile on his face in the darkness as he moves to the other side of the bed. He slips under the blankets and pulls me to his side. We shift into the most comfortable position.

"We'll go shopping for you tomorrow okay?" he whispers next to me. It would be nice to wear some of my own clothes for once.

"Can we get a hairbrush?" I ask remembering the first morning at Alfred's. "And pancakes."

"Definitely," he responds. "Whatever you want."

I snuggle closer to his warm chest. "I love you," I say in the faintest whisper.

Matthew kisses the top of my head lovingly. "I love you too."

"Forever."

"Forever," he agrees.

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Thank you so much to my fans who have followed this story, and my other ones as well. I very much appreciate all of your support. If you haven't already, feel free to check out my other stories. I'll do my best to keep writing good stuff :)


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